Legionnaires' disease (LD) is an acute form of pneumonia, and changing weather is considered a plausible risk factor. Yet, the relationship between weather and LD has rarely been investigated, especially using long-term daily data. In this study, daily data was used to evaluate the impacts of precipitation, temperature, and relative humidity on LD occurrence in Taiwan from 1995-2011. A time-str...

Climate variabilities over the period of 80 years (1930–2010) are analyzed by combined use divergence measures and rank correlation. First, on basis a statistical linguistics procedure, m-th order differences monthly mean precipitations temperatures globe symbolized according to binary coding rule. Subsequently, annual 12-bit sequence for station is divided into twelve 6-bit sequences scanning ...

The Area Vasta di Fermo (the competent health authority of the Marche Region), in collaboration with the local producers' Association conducted a series of studies on the presence of E. coli as an indicator of faecal contamination in the environment, in shellfish and in fishery waters, and on the factors that can affect their presence. These studies, carried out from 2008 to 2011, included an a...

Sequential leaches (sequential extractions) experiment of 62 elements were carried out for assessing the mobility of contaminated heavy metals and metalloids contaminated in natural sediments; river sediments of Oued El Harrach (Algeria) and lagoon sediments of Bizerte (Tunisia), North African Mediterranean coast. Applied extractants for the sequential leaches are: (A) distilled water for extra...

Like all other animal species, terrestrial pulmonate snails require Cu as an essential trace element. On the other hand, elevated amounts of Cu can exert toxic effects on snails. The homeostatic regulation of Cu must therefore be a pivotal goal of terrestrial pulmonates to survive. Upon administration of Cu, snails accumulate the metal nearly equally in most of their organs. Quantitative studie...